We live in a world that constantly bombards our minds with political, social, economic, and other sorts of information. We could easily get swept up in the midst of all this knowledge and become overloaded with worldly information; so it is important that we guard our hearts. Guarding our hearts helps us to manage the massive amounts of information available to us each day and to live with the peace of God.
Biblically, the heart is the innermost part of the mind, understanding, and thinking. The first step to guarding our hearts is to receive and retain the words of God.
Proverbs 2:1,2,5,6:
My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;
So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding.
Then shalt thou understand the fear [respect] of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.
For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
Knowledge that comes from God is the most important information we can receive each day. With a knowledge of the Word, we will have the understanding we need to guide our lives in the will of God. When we receive, hide, and apply His Word in our hearts, we will be able to manage any information that comes our way from the world.
Once we have retained the Word we have received, we guard our hearts by keeping the Word at the center of our hearts.
Proverbs 4:20,21,23:
My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
Keep [guard] thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
We want to keep in our hearts only the positive things of the Word. Part of guarding our hearts is to not let God’s words depart from our eyes, but rather to keep them in the midst of our hearts. To “keep” is to guard, observe, or watch. Watching over our hearts, our thinking, involves being constantly aware of the thoughts that we allow in our minds. By limiting our intake of worldly information and rejecting the negative things of the world, our hearts can be protected. We determine what information we even let into our thinking, and of the information we do let in, we then decide what to keep and what to reject. Every person has complete control over their own thoughts and has the power to determine what they will and will not think about.
I Thessalonians 5:21:
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
We hold fast, keep secure, in our hearts and minds the good things, the things of the Word. Receiving and retaining the Word and rejecting the negatives of the world will keep, or guard, our hearts and minds.
Philippians 4:7:
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep [guard] your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
We can never overload on the knowledge and understanding of God. This knowledge is always profitable and brings peace to our lives. By keeping the Word of God and not the information of the world in the midst of our hearts, we can have a strong foundation from which to process information. No matter how much of or how fast the world’s information comes at us, it does not have to overwhelm our hearts and minds. With all diligence, we carefully select, reject, and filter information according to what we determine will contribute to our peace. As we guard our hearts with God’s Word, we can live with God’s peace.